First Windows Phone 8 Device Officially Announced: The Samsung ATIV S Discussion

[Grant Hatchimonji]

Samsung unveiled the world's first Windows Phone 8 handset at IFA in Berlin today, the ATIV S, the specs of which include a 4.8-inch display and a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor.

Read the full content of this Article: First Windows Phone 8 Device Officially Announced: The Samsung ATIV S

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[Mitlov]

I peed myself a little with excitement. This phone looks FANTASTIC. Basically a US-model Galaxy S3 with a more attractive case and an OS I like.

And Samsung, unlike HTC and Nokia, has shown a serious commitment to bringing its top-tier phones to every US carrier (the Galaxy S3 is the only top-tier phone that US Cellular, the best carrier in rural Oregon, offers). Given Samsung's track record and given US Cellular's statements about throwing their weight behind WP8, I'm confident the Ativ S will come to US Cellular.

There is a very, very high likelihood that this will be my next phone. I'm up for a new device next spring.

[Varjak]

Aesthetically, very nice. I wish their Android phones were as nice.

[Hook]

Too bad it has those damn tiles. Wonder if you can flash Jelly Bean. ;-) (I'm kidding)

[Mitlov]

Too bad it has those damn tiles. Wonder if you can flash Jelly Bean. ;-) (I'm kidding)

That's a lot of work to get a Galaxy S3, isn't it?

Seriously, what's wrong with the "damn tiles"? How are they worse than, say, iOS-style 3D icons? They work just as well for launching apps, and as a plus, they have some widget functionality built in (calendar, weather, news-reader, and now apparently email apps display info within the tile), which iOS still lacks entirely.

[Hook]

They are ugly, and they don't allow me to set up things the way i want. They don't give me enough flexibility in how, what style or the graphic design of what information is displayed. And, oh, right, they are ugly.

You asked.

[Mitlov]

They are ugly, and they don't allow me to set up things the way i want. They don't give me enough flexibility in how, what style or the graphic design of what information is displayed. And, oh, right, they are ugly.

You asked.

As for ugly...*shrug* Certainly a subjective issue; no real discussion possible there. Knowing that it was designed to mimic public transit signage (the King County Metro system, to be specific) helped me appreciate what the designers were doing. But there's not anything aesthetically that appeals to everyone.

As for flexibility of how stuff is displayed--in WP8, each tile can be set as a quarter-tile, a full tile, or a double-wide tile, depending on user preferences. Apps that have live tile support (i.e., the tile functions as a widget in addition to an icon) typically have configurations options in settings where you can determine what is and is not displayed on the tile. For example, I have an RSS reader app where I can choose four options:

(1) a static tile (basically an icon),
(2) a counter of new articles,
(3) a counter and the title of the most recent article, or
(4) a counter and the title and a photo from the most recent article.

As another example, some weather apps have just a static tile; some have a stylized or realistic illustration of current weather along with that day's highs and lows; some even have a current satellite map of your area as part of the live tile.

It's up to the app designer how much control they want to give you over their app's live tile design and functionality. When an app designer really gets into the possibilities, instead of just "throwing something together for Windows Phone," there are some real options available for the user.

All in all, while less flexible than Android (which, like Linux for desktops, is basically unlimited in the hands of the highly tech-saavy), that's a whole heck of a lot more flexible and configurable than iOS, while still giving ordinary consumers a stable, novice-friendly, idiot-proof closed ecosystem like iOS does.

That's my two-minute elevator pitch for Windows Phone. Take it or leave it

[Hook]

I'm not sure why you keep bringing in the comparison to iOS which I have only trouble shot for my wife. And, I'm sorry, different kinds of tiles, but you are still stuck with a screenfull of tiles, is not my idea of flexibility.

I'll leave it. ;-)

[Mitlov]

I'm not sure why you keep bringing in the comparison to iOS which I have only trouble shot for my wife. And, I'm sorry, different kinds of tiles, but you are still stuck with a screenfull of tiles, is not my idea of flexibility.

I'll leave it. ;-)

I mentioned iOS-style icons because, well, TouchWiz has them too according to a certain federal court

In all seriousness, I was actually talking not solely about iOS, but that sort of icon--a rounded square with an image on it. Windows uses icons, OSX uses icons, iOS uses icons, mainstream varieties of Android use icons, all of which look pretty similar.

I did make a mention at the end that there's more customizability than iOS. I know you're a rooted-Android device guy at heart, and I'm not trying to change that. Kind of like how I might point out to a Linux fan who hates Windows that Windows is more customizable than OSX...it's not that I'm expecting him to leave Linux for it (which is far more customizable than either); I'm just surprised that he's singling it Windows out as a primary target for revulsion. I expected him to treat it as a lesser evil instead compared to the totally-not-customizable Apple option.

[Hook]

I mentioned iOS-style icons because, well, TouchWiz has them too according to a certain federal court

In all seriousness, I was actually talking not solely about iOS, but that sort of icon--a rounded square with an image on it. Windows uses icons, OSX uses icons, iOS uses icons, mainstream varieties of Android use icons, all of which look pretty similar.

I did make a mention at the end that there's more customizability than iOS. I know you're a rooted-Android device guy at heart, and I'm not trying to change that. Kind of like how I might point out to a Linux fan who hates Windows that Windows is more customizable than OSX...it's not that I'm expecting him to leave Linux for it (which is far more customizable than either); I'm just surprised that he's singling it Windows out as a primary target for revulsion. I expected him to treat it as a lesser evil instead compared to the totally-not-customizable Apple option.

But Apple isn't ugly.